


Desperate Measures

by joshuaorrizonte



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Gen, Prostitution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-06-29 14:04:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19831756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joshuaorrizonte/pseuds/joshuaorrizonte
Summary: Asra has never been so hungry in his life. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and Asra is desperate enough to do something he knows damn well he's going to regret.





	Desperate Measures

Asra had never been so hungry in his life. 

His fortune telling wasn’t bringing in any money. The parlor tricks he performed wasn’t bringing in any money. Muriel was out hunting, but it was the middle of winter. Muriel hadn’t been able to bring home anything for a week, and the last time someone bought a tarot reading from him was four days ago. 

They had been without food for three days. He had to do something, and fast, or they would starve. 

It was a desperately risky plan. He was only sixteen years old, and knew nothing about the subject other than what insights his own experimentation provided, and that was always done alone. Still, he had been told on more than one occasion- by several people, strangers and acquaintances alike- that he was attractive. If he could get to the red market, convince someone there to trade a night together for some coin...

He had to go while Muriel was out. If Muriel knew what he was going to do, he’d stop him. Muriel was fiercely protective of Asra, and what Asra was going to do would be dangerous. Not only was it illegal, he would be at the mercy of a complete stranger’s proclivities. The people who frequented the red market weren’t known for being gentle. If his... customer... wanted to hurt him, he doubted he’d be able to defend himself. 

But he had to do something. If he managed to pull this off, Muriel would never need to know. He just needed to do this. 

He thought as he walked through the woods into the city. He was so terrified his hands were shaking. Worse than what would happen if whoever his client was hurt him was the thought of what Muriel would think if he ever found out. If his client hurt him... he had to come up with a feasible explanation for his injuries. He couldn’t claim he was mugged- not with the amount Asra was going to charge. He wasn’t going to be cheap, he’d already decided that. He had not even the faintest clue what the going rate for what he was planning was, but he wasn’t going to sacrifice his dignity for anything less than enough for a week’s worth of food. 

How was he going to explain that? He wasn’t sure. A particularly generous fortune customer? That could work...

Asra focused on his breathing as he walked, centering himself. He was scared, but he could do this. How hard could it be? Asra stopped just outside the city, closing his eyes and breathing deeply, forcing his hands to steady. He could do this. He would be alright. 

Calm and steady now, Asra cast the glamor over himself, to make him more attractive. He also cast a nevermind-me spell, one that he would lift when he got to the red market. With a deep breath, he started into the city, heading for the coliseum.

It wasn’t being used for any fights at the moment, much to Asra’s relief. He knew Muriel fought there, as a way of bringing in money. Muriel hated it, and Asra found the entire idea distasteful. People died in the fights, sometimes intentionally. Asra could always tell when Muriel killed someone in his fights; he had spent many nights comforting Muriel, begging him to stop competing. If Muriel could kill in these competitions, then he could be killed.

Muriel always refused. Asra felt there was more to Muriel’s insistence on fighting, since he despised it with all of his being. Asra rarely pushed. He, too, did things that he hated, things he wouldn’t tell Muriel about. The last time Lucio had come to him, he asked Asra to formulate a poison for him. 

Asra did it. He had no idea what the poison was used for. He never knew what the things he did for Lucio ended up as. He was afraid to ask. All he knew was that Lucio threatened Muriel when he tried to refuse. 

Lucio had taken his parents from him. He would be damned before he put his best and only friend at risk, too. 

Asra had been to the red market before. Some of the things Lucio demanded of him required components that weren’t readily available through fully legal channels. He went to the false wall and pushed the bricks in order that would let him into the underground market. 

He descended the stairs, fighting back uncertainty. There was nothing about his appearance that would give the impression that he was selling himself, and he didn’t have the money for a more suggestive outfit. His best bet was to go to the brothel, explain what he needed to do, and hope they helped him. It wasn't hard to find; he'd lingered by the building curiously a few times when he came here, but never had the guts to actually go in. He hesitated outside the door, his mind racing. Did he really want to do this?

He watched his hand shake, weak with hunger, and pushed the door open. He had to. He had exhausted all of his other options. 

The place looked like an ordinary inn from the inside, albeit only one floor. Incense burned on a table in the corner; the place looked surprisingly clean, for its location. A woman, at least three times his age, sat at the counter. "Well hello there, cutie pie," she said, a smile crossing her features. "I have to ask- how old are you? Are you old enough to be in a place like this? Do you even _know_ where you are?"

Asra fought down irritation at her condescending attitude. "I'm sixteen," he answered. "I know where I'm at. I need help."

She laughed. "Most people who come in here do," she said in dry amusement, her eyes dancing. "What can I do for you?"

"I need to- I need to work for you for a few days."

The amusement dried up, as quickly as it came on. "Oh, honey," she said, "you don't want that."

"It's not a matter of what I _want_ ," Asra replied, looking away. "If I could think of any other way, I wouldn't be here, but-"

"Our clientele isn't kind to our... employees. I'll take you on if you insist, but I really think you need to leave. Whatever's going on, it can't be _that_ bad."

Asra shook his head. "No. I need to do this."

The woman leaned forward. "You're younger than the people we usually take on. But... Not _too_ young, I suppose. What's your name?" 

"Asra."

"Asra. Pretty name. You name your price. We get a third of it. Still want to do this?"

A third? Asra wasn't sure he could charge enough to get a client _and_ pay for food. Still, it was better than nothing, and he nodded. "That's fine. I-"

The door banged open, and Asra's heart leapt into his throat and threatened to choke him. Lucio, the Count of Vesuvia, strode into the establishment, grinning broadly. "Esrilda! I trust my favorite girl is still-" And then his gaze fell on Asra, and he froze. "What are _you_ doing here?" he asked with a grin. "Can't get a date?"

"He's going to be working for us for a few days," Esrilda replied. 

"Oh, is he?" The grin dropped abruptly from Lucio's face, replaced with a scowl. He closed the distance between the two of them in three long strides and gripped Asra's chin in his hand, staring hard at him. "How much?" he asked over his shoulder.

Asra fought down a flutter of panic. No, no, no... "We were just discussing that," Esrilda replied. "He was about to name his price when you came in."

Lucio stared down at him. "Well?" he prompted.

His mouth was dry, his heart pounding. He was trapped. Of all of the worst-case scenarios he had gone over, this one wasn't one of them. "I want to take home a thousand coins," he managed to murmur. 

"So a little less than a thousand five hundred." Lucio sneered. "You certainly think highly of yourself, don't you?" Abruptly, he released Asra. Just as Asra was about to exhale in relief, Lucio turned back to the counter and said, "I changed my mind. I'll take him tonight."

Asra was afraid he was going to throw up. "Yes, sir," Esrilda said. She focused on Asra. "You can collect your pay once you're done. Have fun, Count Lucio."

Lucio dropped a bag of coins on the counter, took the proffered room key, and roughly grabbed Asra's arm and began dragging him down the hall. They reached one of the rooms and Lucio barged in and threw Asra into the room, closing the door behind him. He didn't lock it. "Explain yourself," he said, crossing his arms over his chest and glowering down at him.

At first, he was at a loss for words. Lucio was about to repeat his demand when Asra found his voice, a mere whisper. "Muriel and I haven't eaten for three days. I needed to do something."

Much to Asra's surprise, Lucio's expression softened. "Sit on the bed and don't move," he said. Then he left. Shaking, Asra obeyed him, terrified. He hadn't wanted his first time to be with a stranger, but he wanted it to be Lucio even less. He wasn't sure he could go through with it... but he was just as unsure that Lucio would let him back out. Asra's blood ran cold at the thought. Lucio was a monster. If Lucio wanted to force him, he would, and Asra wouldn't be able to stop him.

Lucio returned after a few minutes. "You ruined my night, you know," he informed Asra coldly. "I was coming here to have a little fun and now I have to _babysit_ you."

Lucio's words took him by surprise. "Wh-what? You're not-"

"Don't be ridiculous. You're far too young for my tastes."

"Then why-"

Lucio sighed and cut him off, "Just shut up." Asra obeyed, looking at his hands, calming himself. He wasn't sure if he could believe him. Lucio's opinions and intentions could change on a breeze. But now he was confused. What _was_ Lucio's intentions here?

After a minute of glaring at Asra, Lucio sat next to him in awkward silence. Asra coughed quietly, and Lucio scooted away from him. "Don't tell me you're sick, too."

"Just a tickle in my throat." Lucio rolled his eyes, and silence descended again until a knock on the door startled Asra. He watched in morbid interest as Lucio got the door and took a tray from someone on the other side. He brought it back, set it on the bed between them, and pulled the lid off. Asra's eyes widened as his gaze fell on the meal. 

He looked up at Lucio, confused, and Lucio prompted, "Well? You haven't eaten in three days. Aren't you hungry?"

Asra swallowed hard. What was the catch? Lucio watched him expectantly as he picked up the fork with trembling fingers and took a bite. Hunger washed over him, and he began eating, catch be damned. He was so hungry. At one point Lucio admonished him to slow down. "You're going to throw it all up if you eat too fast," he said with a frown. "You're cleaning it up if it happens and you're not getting another meal."

He forced himself to slow down then, still finishing the meal in a matter of minutes. The fine tremors in his hands subsided and he sighed in relief as his stomach stopped hurting. "Better?" Lucio prompted. Asra nodded, not quite meeting his gaze. Lucio didn't seem to notice. "Now do a reading for me."

The demand took him by surprise. "What?"

"You didn't think I was going to pay that much money just to feed you. You're going to earn it one way or another." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Well? You _do_ have your tarot deck, don't you? You have your bag. If you have your bag, you must have the deck."

"I-I do." Asra reached into the bag and pulled out the deck as Lucio picked up the tray and dumped it unceremoniously on a table on the other side of the room. Asra shuffled the cards as Lucio came back, plopping down on the bed and scooting so that he was sitting cross-legged on it. "What kind of reading do you want?"

"Mm." Lucio considered the question for a moment. "How about a love reading? I'm getting sick of coming here. Would be nice to know if I can stop in the near future."

Love readings. Asra didn't do those often. He usually shied from them. He didn't think he had a choice, though. The cards slipped through his fingers as he focused on the question, and dealt out three cards: the Lovers, the Empress, and the Ace of Cups. Asra breathed a sigh of relief at such a positive reading. Lucio was liable to take a negative one out on him. "It looks like you're in luck," Asra said finally. "These cards all indicate a relationship coming." He hoped he didn't have to go into detail. Asra found it hard to believe that Lucio would ever _love_ someone, other than himself. 

Lucio looked intrigued. "When? Who?"

The questions took Asra aback. "I- I don't know. I just know it's going to happen. The cards don't say when or who."

Lucio scowled. "Well, don't you have any other tricks to tell you that? Can't you read smoke or something like that?"

Asra thought fast. He didn't want to do anything to get on Lucio's bad side in the position he was in. "I can try scrying through water- if we had a bowl or cup or-"

Without another word, Lucio rose again and left the room. Asra waited expectantly, almost curiously. Did it matter that much that Lucio would go get a bowl of water? He returned a few minutes later with the bowl, and carefully set it down on the bed between them and gestured expectantly. Asra avoided making eye contact again, choosing to focus on the water. He breathed deeply, centering himself, reaching out with his magic. As it concentrated in the bowl, an image began to take form. In moments, there was a scene in the water; he curiously watched himself perform a magic trick, a trifle, really, for a small child. The child, delighted, reached up to his booth's counter and plunked a coin down on it. Asra smiled and waved goodbye, his eyes sweeping over the crowd.

Suddenly, there was a clamor, and the crowd parted, crowding around the sides of the street. Asra knew the important part of the vision was the carriage rolling down the street, but the only thing he saw was one of the people crowded into his booth, the most beautiful person he had ever seen before in his life. As the carriage rolled past, he asked, "Who is that?"

The beautiful person looked over their shoulder at him. "That's Princess Nadia Satrinava, of Prakra," they answered. "We've been expecting her. You haven't heard of the diplomatic mission she's on?" Asra shook his head, and the person said, "It seems Prakra wants an alliance with Vesuvia. The Queen sent her to negotiate a treaty with Count Lucio."

"I- I see." Asra turned his attention to the carriage, getting a glimpse of the princess. She was beautiful, but Asra felt his gaze pulled inexorably towards the beautiful stranger in his booth. As the carriage passed, the crowd dispersed, and the beautiful stranger turned to him. "What do we have here?" he murmured, looking over the masks Asra was selling for Count Lucio's masquerade. "These are beautiful. How much?"

"Which one are you looking at?" The stranger pointed to one of the masks, bold jewel-tones painted in swirls out from the eyes, glitter in one of the swirls. "Fifty coins."

"Are you sure? Surely it's worth more than that."

"I'm not in the price-gouging business," Asra replied with a smile. 

The stranger handed over the coins and took the mask, admiring it. "You're quite talented," the stranger said. "What's your name? I might want to look you up for my mask next year, too."

Asra's breath caught in his throat. "Asra," he answered.

The stranger smiled and held out a hand, telling him their name. "Thanks for the mask. See you around, Asra."

"Enjoy the masquerade," Asra replied, and then the stranger ducked back into the crowd and away from Asra's booth.

Asra's attention snapped back to the here and now. He wasn't interested in Lucio's question, he was interested in that beautiful stranger. He had the sense that what he scryed in the water was more for his benefit than for Lucio's. Regardless, Asra sat back, still not looking directly at Lucio. "I can't say _when_ ," he said softly, "but eventually, Prakra is going to send one of their princesses to create a diplomatic treaty with Vesuvia. I think that's your girl. And I got the impression that it will happen soon, too, although I can't say exactly when."

Lucio's eyes were bright. "Prakra, huh? Interesting. And a _princess._ What a fortune." Lucio sat with it for a moment before looking over at Asra, seeming to be suddenly bored. "I suppose you've earned your coin. You can go." Asra's eyes widened, his heart pounding. He was actually getting out of this without getting hurt. Before he could move, though, Lucio's hand shot out and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look him in the eye. "And if I _ever_ catch you in this establishment again, as either an employee or client, you're going straight to the dungeon for the night. Am I clear?"

"Crystal," Asra replied with wide eyes. Lucio released him and waved him away, and Asra stood and fled. 

He was so eager to get away that he almost forgot to stop at the counter to get his pay. Esrilda blinked at him. "That was fast. He must have really enjoyed you. Here's your share of the fee." Esrilda pushed a pouch at Asra, and he grabbed it and stuffed it in his bag, nodding to her and hastily leaving, keeping his head down. Once he was out of the red market, he ran. He ran through the city, as fast as he could go, his heart pounding, until he couldn't run anymore. Once he was out of the city and heading into the forest, he slowed and stopped at a tree, sinking to the ground, covering his face with his hands. He couldn't believe that he managed to get out of that without getting hurt.

Once he had caught his breath, he stood again, and started walking. Muriel was back at the hut by the time he arrived, and he stood up as Asra came in the door. Faust, lying by the fire, slid up to him and he reached down to let her wind her way up his arm to his shoulder. "Where were you?" Muriel asked, concern clear in his green eyes. "Inanna said that Faust was beside herself."

"I was... working." 

"Working? Were you able to get a few fortunes told?"

"Yes." He took a deep breath. He was shaken so badly, he needed to talk about it. "Lucio's." Muriel's eyes narrowed, and the entire story spilled out of Asra, from start to finish. By the time he was done, they were sitting by the fire together, wrapped up in a fur, side by side.

Muriel stared into the fire. "You need to promise me you're never going to do that again," he said finally. "You got so lucky, Asra. There are so many ways that could have gone wrong."

"I was hungry and desperate," Asra replied, bringing his knees up to his chest and burying his face in them. "The good news is that Lucio actually paid me. And told me that if I ever tried that again I was going to the dungeons."

Shaking his head, Muriel asked, "Did you stop and get food on your way back?"

Embarassed, Asra shook his head. "No. I- I just wanted to get away from there. I'm sorry. I'll go back."

"I'll go with you," Muriel said, standing. Asra put out the fire, and the pair left together to head back into the city for food.

* * *

_Two Years Later..._

Asra grinned at the child's reaction to the sparkles that shimmered from his fingertips and danced around the child's head. The child made a grab for them, laughing. "They tickle!"

"They like you!" Asra laughed merrily. He didn't care if he got tipped for this illusion. This kid was so cute, it was worth it. 

Regardless, the child reached up and plunked a coin down on the counter. "Thank you! It was so pretty!"

"I'm glad you liked it," he answered, picking up the coin. "Go find your parents now. Run along."

The child, still laughing with the sparkles following them, ducked into the crowd. Asra watched them go, smiling, before a trumpet blast split the air, turning his attention to the street. A carriage was rolling through the street as people rushed to clear it, to get out of the way to let it pass.

Asra watched the road for a moment before a flash of color in his booth got his attention. He looked over at the person who had crowded in, and his breath left him in a rush. This was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen...

... and he'd seen them before, two years ago, as he scryed for Count Lucio. 

For a moment, Asra couldn't think of anything to say. The details of the scrying had long since been lost, and he didn't know who this was, coming up the street. "Who is she?" Asra asked.

The beautiful stranger looked over their shoulder at him. "That's Princess Nadia Satrinava, of Prakra," they answered. "We've been expecting her. You haven't heard of the diplomatic mission she's on?" Asra shook his head, and the person said, "It seems Prakra wants an alliance with Vesuvia. The Queen sent her to negotiate a treaty with Count Lucio."

"I- I see." Asra didn't even look back at the carriage. His gaze remained firmly on the stranger... and the stranger didn't look away, either. 

As the carriage passed and the crowd cleared out, the stranger said, "Sorry for barging in on your little shop like this. You do some beautiful work." He met his gaze evenly, and Asra was afraid he was going to melt. The stranger held out a hand to him, telling Asra their name. Asra took their hand, shaking it warmly. He felt the stranger's magic mingle with his, and a shock of delight ran through him.

"My name is Asra," he answered, smiling. 

The person bought a mask from him, wished him a happy masquerade, and walked away. Asra watched them go, sighing a little bit. Oh well... It was a treat to meet them, even if it was just for a moment. With that thought, Asra refocused his attention on his business, the fortune he had told Lucio flitting out of his head.


End file.
